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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · mug · spring · wound · cabinet · stand · band · rock

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a music group
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stand — to bear
  22. band — a ring
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com